Juice Runners Wins People’s Choice Best RTD at Island Spirit Cocktail Convention on Long Island
- Hannah M Mizrahi
- May 12
- 4 min read
Run The Jewels’ RTD Brand Now Heads to NY Cocktail Expo in New York City
Long Island’s ready-to-drink cocktail category just had a major moment.
At the ten-year anniversary celebration of Long Island’s modern cocktail movement — now evolved into the Island Spirit Cocktail Convention — Juice Runners officially took home the People’s Choice Best RTD award.
The event was held at The Experience in Hauppauge, New York, bringing together consumers, cocktail fans, bartenders, beverage directors, bars, and RTD brands from across the region to taste and vote in real time on some of the most talked-about ready-to-drink cocktails entering the market today.
And when the votes came in, Juice Runners came out on top.
The Run The Jewels-created RTD brand beat out competitors including:
XXI Martinis
Ghia
3BR Distillery’s Lemon Beary Pie
Now the brand heads toward an even bigger stage: New York Cocktail Expo at Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York City, on Sunday, August 23rd.
Juice Runners and the Rise of Premium RTD Cocktails
Juice Runners isn’t just another celebrity-backed canned cocktail.
The winning product — Paloma REMIX — reflects where the premium RTD category is actually moving right now.
Brighter flavor structure
Real cocktail balance
Approachable mezcal character
Craft-inspired ingredients without excessive sweetness
At the center of the drink is El Tinieblo Mezcal — framed with grapefruit, lime, agave, and smoked sea salt — creating something that lands much closer to a modern craft Paloma than a traditional canned cocktail.
And the philosophy behind the product matters.
The goal was simple:create a true cocktail in a can — one that balanced flavor with crushability without sacrificing either along the way.
That process involved studying the Paloma category closely, honing in on balance, body, and aroma, and even experimenting with oleo saccharum techniques to pull fresh grapefruit peel character into the final result.
And honestly, that attention to detail is exactly why the drink connected with people at Island Spirit Cocktail Convention.
Because today’s consumers want convenience — but they no longer want to sacrifice cocktail credibility to get it.
The final result frames the mineral-driven, subtly smoky mezcal with fresh grapefruit brightness, tangy lime acidity, and just enough agave to round the edges without turning the drink into a sugar bomb.
And that distinction matters more now than ever in the evolving RTD category.
Why the People’s Choice Award Matters
This was not a hidden judges panel disconnected from consumers.
Guests sampled the products directly and voted in the room.
That means Juice Runners didn’t simply win on branding or recognition alone — it won through direct public response.
And that response says something important about where New York’s RTD market is heading.
Across Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and greater New York City, consumers are becoming far more selective about:
sweetness
ingredient quality
authenticity
drinkability
and whether a canned cocktail actually feels crafted
Juice Runners connected because it managed to bridge both worlds:consumer accessibility and cocktail credibility.
The Long Island Cocktail Movement Behind the Event
Island Spirit Cocktail Convention represented the ten-year anniversary evolution of the Long Island edition of New York Cocktail Expo — originally founded by Matt Kourie to spotlight bars, bartenders, and beverage programs embracing the standards of the modern cocktail renaissance inspired by figures like Sasha Petraske and Dale DeGroff.
The mission was simple: bring attention to cocktails built on balance, hospitality, quality ingredients, and genuine cocktail culture.
Ten years later, the RTD category has officially entered that same conversation.
And now brands are competing directly in front of both consumers and industry professionals in real time.
Juice Runners Now Heads to NY Cocktail Expo in Queens
Following its People’s Choice win on Long Island, Juice Runners now heads into the next phase: New York Cocktail Expo at Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York City.
The event brings together:
cocktail brands
RTD companies
bars
distributors
beverage directors
hospitality professionals
media
and consumers from across New York
As the RTD category continues growing across Long Island and New York City, the competition for consumer attention is becoming increasingly serious.
And events like New York Cocktail Expo are becoming where those conversations happen publicly.
Why Bars and Beverage Directors Are Paying Attention to RTDs
RTDs are no longer viewed as secondary products inside hospitality.
They’re becoming:
premium convenience options
festival and event solutions
faster-service cocktail alternatives
and real revenue opportunities for bars and venues
For bars, New York Cocktail Expo provides direct exposure to emerging RTD brands that actually align with elevated beverage programs.
For RTD brands, it provides direct access to:
buyers
bartenders
distributors
hospitality groups
and consumers actively searching for what’s next in cocktails
And brands that successfully bridge convenience with genuine cocktail credibility are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.
What Happens Next for Juice Runners?
The People’s Choice win at Island Spirit Cocktail Convention positions Juice Runners as more than a celebrity-backed release.
Now the attention shifts toward what comes next for the brand beyond Paloma REMIX.
As consumers continue searching for RTDs that feel more authentic, balanced, and experience-driven, Juice Runners now enters New York Cocktail Expo carrying real momentum into New York City’s growing premium RTD conversation.
And with the RTD category expanding rapidly, the next phase of competition is only getting bigger.
NY Cocktail Expo — Sunday, August 23
Melrose Ballroom — Queens, New York City
For:
RTD brands
bars
beverage directors
distributors
hospitality professionals
and cocktail fans
New York Cocktail Expo continues to grow as one of New York’s major cocktail industry gathering points — and now one of the biggest emerging stages for the RTD category as well.
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